PLANTS OF THE CLOVER FAMILY. 8l 



clover. Timothy is more commonly grown thus 

 than any other grass, because of its very general 

 adaptation, but in some localities tall oat grass may 

 better serve the end sought, since it is about as early 

 as clover in its habit of growth. As timothy matures 

 about the same time as the alsike and mammoth 

 clovers, it is more suitable for being sown along 

 with these than with the medium sort. But it 

 should not be sown with the expectation that it will 

 furnish a support to crimson clover, because of the 

 much more rapid growth of the clover. For every 

 pound of the seed that is added to the mixture sown, 

 the clover seed should be reduced in the same propor- 

 tion, and sometimes the reduction in the clover 

 should be greater relatively. But it is seldom neces- 

 sary to have the timothy seed form more than one- 

 third of the quantity of seed sown. 



The period for sowing clover may be made to 

 cover all the spring months, and in some instances 

 the early summer months, but the medium, mammoth 

 and alsike clovers are more commonly sown in early 

 spring. They should seldom be sown in autumn, 

 as the young plants cannot endure the cold of the 

 winter following. But to this there may be some 

 exceptions. In some instances the seed is sown 

 while the old snow yet lingers, but when thus sown 

 some of the seed is liable to be carried away with 

 the vanishing snows, when the melting of the latter 

 is hastened by warm rains. At other times it is 

 sown when the ground is honeycombed by spring 

 frosts. The seed is thus covered by the action of 

 frost and sun. In other instances it is sown on a 

 light fall of snow, usually spoken of as "sugar 

 6 



